Rahr West Art Museum

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Coordinates: 44°5′57″N 87°39′29″W / 44.09917°N 87.65806°W / 44.09917; -87.65806
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Joseph Vilas Jr. House
Rahr West Art Museum is located in Wisconsin
Rahr West Art Museum
Rahr West Art Museum is located in the United States
Rahr West Art Museum
Location610-616 N 8th St, Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Coordinates44°5′57″N 87°39′29″W / 44.09917°N 87.65806°W / 44.09917; -87.65806
Built1891-1893[1]
ArchitectGeorge Ferry, Alfred Clas[1]
Architectural styleQueen Anne style architecture in the United States, Shingle Style[1]
NRHP reference No.77000035
Added to NRHPApril 29, 1977[2]

The Rahr–West Art Museum is an art museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It is located in the Joseph Vilas Jr. House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house is a significant example of Queen Anne style architecture in the United States.

House

The house was built between 1891 and 1893 for

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] The house sat vacant from Vilas' death in 1905 until Rahr Malting President Reinhardt Rahr purchased it in 1910.[1] His widow donated the house to the city of Manitowoc in 1941 to use as a museum.[1]

Rooms

In the house's first floor, the open carriageway entrance was enclosed in 1975. During a 1950 renovation, a modern stained glass entrance was added. It leads to a room which used to consist of two rooms - reception hall and a dining room. A fireplace partition was removed in 1950 to create the single room.

dentils. An oval mirror is located above it.[1]
Three adjacent rooms are used to display art.

Rahr parlor

The John P. Nash memorial library is located at the top of the stairwell on the house's second floor. Originally a

Marshall Fields. The Doll Room also contains the furnishings from a Victorian dining room.[1] The Kamogawa Room contains a collection of gifts from Manitowoc's Japanese sister city Kamogawa.[1]

A wing was added to the house in 1975 to hold exhibits.[4] The wing was paid for with donations from John and Ruth West and the Rahr Foundation.[4] Another wing was added in 1986 to display and store a permanent collection of American art donated by the Wests.[1]

The museum's permanent collection holds pieces by

Myron Barlow.[5][6] The Courtyard Garden, located just inside the museum entrance, was established in 1975 by Mrs. John West and the Manitowoc Garden Club. It contains a bronze sculpture Waiting by Bruno Lucchesi in Wisconsin shrubs and trees.[1] The Ruth West Gallery, the largest exhibition space, is used for around 10 exhibitions per year. It sometimes host lectures and recitals.[1] The John West Gallery has exhibitions that changes every four to six weeks. It is sometimes used to display art of the museum's collection.[1]
Ruth West in the winter of 1974 began a community art activity for a week, the "Art of Tablesettings", featuring displays of wall art over uniquely themed tables, chairs, dishware and flatware. Drawing from a pool of registrations, eventually over thirty displays are arranged in the two 1975 gallery's west of the mansion, during the six weeks.[clarification needed]

Sputnikfest

Sputnik 4
impact

On September 5, 1962, a 20-pound (9.1 kg) piece of the 7 ton

Sputnik 4 crashed on North Eighth Street east of the museum.[7] The impact location is marked with a ring.[5] A cast was made from the original piece before the Soviets claimed it, and the cast was displayed at the museum.[5] The city holds an annual Sputnikfest celebration.[7]

Images

  • John P. Nash Memorial Library
    John P. Nash Memorial Library
  • Entrance on wing
    Entrance on wing
  • First floor entrance
    First floor entrance
  • First floor hallway
    First floor hallway

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "A Visitor's Guide to the Rahr West Art Museum". Rahr West Art Museum.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ^ Rahr–West Art Museum. Mansion.
  4. ^ a b Karl, R. "Manitowoc, Wisconsin - Part II". On the Lake. Archived from the original on 2003-12-08. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  5. ^ a b c "Sputnik Crashed Here". Roadside America. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  6. ^ "RWAM Figurative Artwork: Two Women". City of Manitowoc.
  7. ^
    Herald Times Reporter . Retrieved 2008-11-11.[permanent dead link
    ]

External links

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